The Last Road North by Ben Huff

Issue 37

The Last Road North is a portrait of Alaska's Dalton Highway. At 414 miles, the Dalton is the northernmost road in America, and was constructed solely as a transportation route to serve the oil fields at Prudhoe Bay. This dirt scar cuts through a heartbreaking landscape, and provides the photographs with a backdrop that depict a landscape, and people, at the fine edge of frontier and progress.

During this project, I drove during all seasons – moving when I felt the pull, sleeping in my truck, and waking with the light to court the landscape and revel in the fleeting relationships with strangers that only a shared path can afford. There are no stop signs, byways, or crossroads on the Dalton. No amenities or services to speak of. People don't stumble onto this road – to be there is to have a need. To be searching. Always north or south – advancing or retreating. At the end, always oil.

Ben Huff is a Juneau, Alaska based photographer.
To view more of Ben's work, please visit his website.

m.172, 2008 

m.172, 2008 

m.24, 2008 

m.24, 2008 

m.111, Dirk & Torsten, 2009 

m.111, Dirk & Torsten, 2009 

m.102, 2011 

m.102, 2011 

m.2, Leroy, 2008 

m.2, Leroy, 2008 

m.186, 2010 

m.186, 2010 

m. 95, 2010 

m. 95, 2010 

m.212, 2009 

m.212, 2009 

m.75, Alfred, 2011 

m.75, Alfred, 2011 

m.250 #5, 2009 

m.250 #5, 2009 

m.346, 2011 

m.346, 2011 

m.251, Thomas, 2011 

m.251, Thomas, 2011 

m.344, 2011 

m.344, 2011 

m.394, 2011 

m.394, 2011 

m.403, 2009 

m.403, 2009 

m.489 #1, 2009 

m.489 #1, 2009 

m.489 #2, 2009 

m.489 #2, 2009 

m.489 #6, 2010 

m.489 #6, 2010